


Lola

by Somnifery (somnifery)



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Innocence, New Guardian (Destiny), Post-Red War (Destiny)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2019-10-18 07:54:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 6,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17576885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somnifery/pseuds/Somnifery
Summary: The story of an Earthborn Awoken girl, lost in the attack on the City and resurrected in the aftermath.





	1. Chapter 1

The world is ending. At least, that’s what it feels like.

“She had a kid.”

The Exo is staring down at the corpse in his arms. She’s still warm, he thinks, but she just coughed, stopped breathing, chest rattling like the loose panels on this ship, the Cabal ships in the sky. Her mechanic jumpsuit is stained black, blood blooming out from where the shrapnel hit her in the gut.

“A little girl. Always hanging around the Tower when she was working.”

The Hunter looks exhausted, a hand to her to her side, breath coming in agonized pants. She’s broken a rib, she thinks. She isn’t used to pain lasting this long.

“We can’t go looking for her.” She knows this is harsh, useless, but she feels she must say it, make it plain. “We have to make sure they make it.”

They are deaf to their conversation, mute with horror and trauma and fatigue, covered in the blood and dust of what was supposed to be the last safe place for them.

The Exo looks around.

“Yeah.”

He gently eases her body to the floor, hesitating for a moment before brushing a hand over her eyelids, closing those once star-bright eyes.

“Let me see,” he reaches for the Hunter, ignoring her protest as he pulls her down to her knees, puts a hand to her side. “Come on. We can’t lose you, too.”


	2. Chapter 2

One of the babies won’t stop crying.

Alison stares at the ceiling, listening to the thin wail through the walls, willing the noise to stop, for the little human to soothe itself, for her mother to get up and take care of it before she has to.

Her mother is working tonight, though. Covering a shift. And the baby’s mother is dead, killed by some Fallen scum as they made their way here, leaving some other family, some other child to carry it to the safety of the City walls.

She sighs. She gets out of bed. She left her school books stacked nearby, and she nearly trips on them. The sound of her stumble just makes the baby to cry louder.

The stairs creak as she pads up them, rubbing her face to try and rouse herself, ward off the headache she knows she’ll soon have.

“Look, kid.” Alison opens the door with another heavy sigh, making her way to the line of makeshift cribs. “I have school in the morning. What’s the deal?”

These children are old enough to sleep on their own, usually. Even this one has slept through the night a few times, but for some reason he seems restless tonight, screaming, baby face turning red as Alison picks him up and tries to soothe him.

“Come on, come on.” She begins to pace, swaying, pleading in a sing-song voice. “Work it out. You’ve been fed, you’ve had milk, you can go right back to sleep until shift change.”

The room is dark, the lights of the city and the Traveler muffled by thick curtains. She traces a familiar path, one she could walk with her eyes closed, though even now it’s faintly lit by the orange glow of her eyes.

“There we go, back to sleep--” Alison starts to speak, sure the crying has run its course. But the child hiccups, sobbing anew, making her groan in frustration. “What is the deal, kid?”

A faint, persistent roar sounds, like thunder in the distance. The baby falls silent.

Alison pauses, waiting for the thunder to stop.

It doesn’t. It grows louder.

“Someone’s flying late,” she remarks, setting the baby back in the crib.

The baby fusses, but seems uncertain.

Frightened.

Alison frowns, but she goes to the window, throwing open the curtains.

The clouds are red, the Cabal ships sharp, black shapes against the Traveler’s light.

The world stops spinning, and the Tower blooms into a pillar of fire.


	3. Chapter 3

Alison grabs two of the children, somehow, the third barely big enough to run at her side, hurrying into the stairwell of the tenement with a crush of confused and panicked neighbors.

"What's going on?" The words, repeated, echoing as they descend, panic growing as the stairway becomes congested with bodies. "An attack. An invasion." 

A neighbor picks up the toddler, thankfully, gets him off the ground, holding him tightly as they descend, his partner taking the second kid from Alison, earning her breathless thanks as she adjusts her grip on the wriggling body left in her own arms.

There is a muffled roar, and the entire building shakes, people screaming in terror and gripping the walls and railings as dust and debris rains down upon them.

“Keep moving!” Alison shouts, one of a dozen voices that keep up the cry until the people begin to move once more, until they spill into the chaos of the street below.

There are hundreds, thousands of people milling about, and she is immediately adrift, unable to find the neighbors with the other children in the crush. A ship buzzes the tops of buildings, and the people scream, some crouching in place, other scattering like frightened sheep.

Alison tries to remember what she is supposed to do, what happens if the City is attacked. She comes up with nothing, because these were plans for an attack on the Wall, an attack held back long enough for an orderly evacuation.

Evacuation. She has to find an evacuation ship.

She looks around one last time, hoping to see her neighbors, any familiar faces at all, but they are gone, and she is too short to see above all the heads milling around her.

“Let’s go,” she tells the child, trying to be reassuring as she takes off, weaving through the crowd as quickly as she can. “Let’s get out of here.”

Her evacuation point is not so far, in ideal conditions, but these conditions are far from ideal. Landing pods are raining from the sky, depositing soldiers, crushing civilians as they flee. Cannonfire riddles buildings, sending walls of debris crashing down, blocking off streets, cutting off Alison’s routes, swallowing people as their screams are cut short.

Alison doubles back, turns, sprints away from the sound of gunfire, until she is so turned around she fears she’ll never find her way out, until she’s at the end of an empty alley, gasping for air. She looks up, around, seeking any familiar landmark, any indicator she’s found her way.

The baby starts to cry. She bounces him, making shushing sounds, wincing at the way his cries echo.

There is a blast of air, and the earth shakes. Alison stumbles back against the wall, clutching the child with one arm, bracing herself with the other, staring in dread as the walls of the Cabal pod fall away.

For a single, terrifying moment, she sees the invaders standing there, measuring her up, lifting their guns--

And then she is pushing herself off the wall, running down the alley as fast as she can, the sounds of their grunts and bellows at her back.


	4. Chapter 4

She runs, the sound of Cabal gruntings and shouts at her back, lungs aching, heart pounding in her chest. It feels like an eternity, but at last she is bursting from the shadowed alley into an open street.

There is a dull hum, the sound of engines. Alison looks one way, then the other, gasping in relief. Somehow, by some miracle, she has found her way to the evacuation ships.

They’re already taking off.

“Wait!” Alison screams, watching helplessly as they begin to rise, begin to leave.

The last ship still has an open hatch, though, a Guardian standing in the opening, a hand pressed to his chest. He turns. He sees her. He says something over his shoulder before dropping to his knees, reaching out. The ship stalls, hovers, waiting.

“Come here!” The Guardian shouts to her, and she begins to run once more, bare feet screaming in protest as she runs through shattered concrete and glass, the child clutched to her chest. The ship will be too high for her to reach, but the Guardian leans out, holding out his arms, one glove bright red with blood.  

A spotlight sweeps down, blinding, washing out the street before her, and she stumbles, foot turning wrong on a piece of glass, making her gasp in pain. The child in her arms wails. Alison staggers upright once more, panting.

The Guardian looks frightened. She can see this, even from here, and she can’t resist the urge to turn her head, to see what is behind her.

A Cabal ship. It’s hovering above the street, behind her, and its guns are rotating, aiming, barrels glowing with heat.

They’re aiming at the ships. Aiming at her.

Alison grits her teeth. She puts weight on her foot, ignoring the screaming pain, driving up her leg. She runs, over glass, over steel, crying out in pain as her feet are torn apart, but she does not slow.

The guns are spinning up. She puts the last of her strength into a leap, shifting the baby’s weight before throwing him up to the Guardian’s waiting arms, time stopping for an agonizing moment as he floats between ship and street, as she falls back to the shattered ground below.

The Guardian lunges, catching the child. Alison cries out, knees cracking on the pavement, glass shards slicing into her skin.

“Go,” she screams, panting, seeing the child disappear into the ship’s interior before she closes her eyes, pushes herself up on her hands and battered knees. “Go!”

Alison looks at her hands, her legs, her own blood seeping into the cracks in the concrete. She can’t stand up again, not like this. Broken feet, fractured knees.

There’s nowhere left to run. This is the end of it.

Alison hears someone land before her-- feels a burst of hope.

The Guardian has jumped down, and for a moment, she thinks he’s come to save her.

But the last ship takes off, escaping into the fire-bright sky, and it is only the two of them, two small people pinned down by a Cabal ship in the midst of an apocalypse.

“Hey.”

He kneels down. He helps her up, helps her to her knees, and takes her hands into his own.

“You did a good job today, kid.”

She sees the wound in his chest, the source of his bloodied gloves, and at last she knows what he is doing-- what they are about to do. Together.

“I’m scared,” she tells him, unable to keep her voice from trembling, the tears from welling in her eyes. “I don’t want to die. Is it going to hurt?”

“That’s okay.” He wipes her tears away, smiling, comforting. “I’m scared, too. But we’ve got each other. We don’t have to do this alone.”

He pulls her into an embrace, hiding her face against his chest and holding her there so she can’t turn her face to see their doom, though the guns are roaring, ready to fire. His cape falls forward, shielding her, and she can’t feel the bite of the cold air against her cheeks.

“Take a deep breath.”

They inhale, and the guns scream.

Alison feels his arms tighten around her, and she feels safe, at least--

Before she feels nothing at all.


	5. Chapter 5

The seasons pass. The rain washes away the blood. The world goes on, and the City is reclaimed.

Her name is Piper. A Guardian that was not her own gave it to her, long ago. She treasures it, for it is the only thing she possesses.  

She ventures to these devastated streets. First, to search for survivors, the few who somehow lived, hiding away throughout the war. Then, to search for the bodies.

“You’ve been looking for centuries,” one of the Speaker’s Ghosts comments, watching her scan a pile of debris. “Do you really think you’ll find your Guardian here?”

“No,” she replies. She doesn’t pause, doesn’t turn to look at him. “I think I’ll find the dead. I think they should be buried properly.”

She does find the dead. Too many to count.

Piper is weary. Still, there are many more beneath the ruins, and she has no other purpose, no Guardian to tend to.

She thinks of a body, much like these, in some place far away, except that body is waiting for her to find them, awaken them. There’s no awakening for these corpses, though.  

These weeks of grief feel endless.

Winter comes.

Piper looks out over the collapsed street. The chill of snow has cast frost over the damp ruins, chasing the few remaining human search crews back to the warmth of the indoors.

She floats along, enjoying the surreal peace of this dead place. She makes note of the few bodies she finds beneath these stones. She can lead the recovery teams here, when the weather has improved.

There is a spark as she crosses some invisible threshold-- a sensation like static electricity.

Piper falters, cutting off her scan.

Something is calling to her.

She goes, drawn through these shattered places, closer to the source of this feeling. It swells, intensity rising like the climax of an orchestra, until she crosses some invisible threshold--

And there is peace, broken only by a single, sweet note of Light.

Piper hesitates, for this cannot be what she thinks it is, not after all this time, all these miles.

She reaches out.

There is a Hunter. He is still, bones shattered, his Light long gone, arms still wrapped around the bones of another, smaller figure.

_Her Guardian_.

Piper scans her again, disbelieving.

She is small, young. Not a child, though-- Barely. Her body is also broken, but in far better shape than the Hunter who died beside her.

“Hello.”

Piper speaks to the dead air, uncertain if she is rehearsing these words or speaking them to this silent sleeper.

“...It’s time to wake up.”

She steadies her nerves, and lets the Light within her expand.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing she knows is fear.

She is trapped beneath something, and she is tangled in something that smells like decay. Her mind is flooding with thoughts, a deluge of information, words, ideas, feelings--

She tries to sit up. There is a crack, a bright flash of pain, her head coming into contact with… what?

She brings a hand to the source of the pain, feels water dripping down her cheeks, a small dent. It hurts to touch, her fingers coming away sticky with blood.

She puts her hands against the hard weight above her-- _concrete_ , she thinks-- and she pushes.

Somehow, it moves.

She stands up, but her legs give out. She falls, tumbling down a pile of concrete and glass and metal that has once been a building, had once been a street, until she lands hard in the filthy water that once filled the collapsed sewer, now just a bare trickle in a crater.

“Oh, no.” She hears a voice. She sees a light. “Don’t try to move-- Hold on, let me help.”

She blinks as a bright light enfolds her. The pain goes away.

She is sitting in the water, staring down at her bare legs, blue skin already coated in ash and dirt.

“Look at me,” the voice instructs. “Up here.”

She complies, for some reason. She doesn’t know how she’s able to comprehend what this voice is saying to her, because she can barely process her own thoughts, control her own body, and it’s terrifying.

“I’m Piper,” the voice says. “I’m your Ghost.”

“... What?” None of this makes sense. Not this small, floating thing that’s talking to her. Not the white sky above. Not the concrete, the pain, the blood, the cold--

“Take a breath,” it says. She obeys. “Hold it.”

Time seems to slow. She feels the ice water running against her legs, soaking into her ragged clothes. She begins to shiver.

“Let it go.”

She does. Her head is spinning, light, yet things feel slightly less… chaotic.

“You’re not dressed for this weather. Let’s go home, and I can explain everything once you’re warm.” This voice, this little metal thing-- It sounds warm, comforting, and for some reason, it makes the girl trust her. “Can you get up?”

The girl looks at her legs, then begins to stand. It takes her a few tries, body unaccustomed to this, not quite willing to obey her, but eventually she manages. The Ghost gives her a small noise of delight, encouraging her as she staggers up the side of the crater, crawls over the ledge onto the abandoned street.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Piper asks, looking her over, patching up her scrapes and bumps.

“It was,” the girl replies, hunching her shoulders. She’s beginning to shiver again. “I’m cold.”

The Ghost seems to droop a bit, looking between her Guardian and the distant Tower.

“I can go get help and bring someone back,” she offers. “It won’t take long.”

The expression of fear on the girl’s face is the only answer she needs.

“No, don’t worry!” Piper quickly reassures her. “I won’t leave you alone. Especially not... now…”

The girl is struggling to her feet again, gritting her teeth to try and suppress their chattering.

Piper feels a stab of guilt. She shouldn’t let her walk all this way. She should find a way to get her warm, find someone to help her. The poor thing is obviously overwhelmed and confused, even if she is stubborn enough to overcome it.

“Home,” the girl repeats, facing the Ghost. “Let’s go home.”

“...That’s right. Follow me home.” Piper begins to move off, toward the City, toward the Tower. “One step at a time.”


	7. Chapter 7

They are getting lunch when the commotion begins, sitting at a table beside a brazier, sipping their drinks and savoring the taste of artificial cinnamon.

“We should take time off more often,” Krish says, licking his lips. “It’s nice to see the City from down here.”

“We’re down here all the time.” His companion rolls her eyes. “Literally every time we’re back in the City. They know our names.”

“Lots of people know our names, Ari.” The Hunter smiles, sweet as can be. “They can’t just call all of us ‘Guardian’.” 

Ari is about to retort, but someone gasps, and she turns to see their server, face pale, eyes wide. The waitress drops her tray, the shattering of glass and stoneware splitting the air as she stares down the road. 

Krish and Ari glance at the broken mess, then each other, before following her gaze. 

There’s a girl, a small, underdressed creature, limping up the road from the ruins of the War. Her legs and feet are bare, her torn and scorched clothing nothing but an oversized shirt, as far as they can tell. Beside her, a Ghost is floating, watching her.

Even as Ari is getting to her feet, ready to go to her aid, the girl collapses like a puppet with cut strings. A few civilians are nearly there already, finally answering the Ghost’s cries for help, and by the time Ari and Krish arrive, they have her on her back, the Ghost already patching up the crack in her skull from hitting the pavement.

“Move,” Krish commands, and the people part, letting him through, Ari in his wake. He unpins his cloak, unwrapping the cowl and draping it over the girl. Ari kneels on her other side, taking hold of his cloak and tucking it beneath her, around her livid feet, rubbing them between her gloved hands to encourage circulation.

“I’m sorry,” the Ghost says, the same thing she’s been saying for the past few minutes. “She insisted on walking, I told her she could wait, but she wouldn’t, and I can’t keep her warm--”

“Hey.” Ari stands, catching the Ghost in her cupped palms, shushing her gently. “It’s okay. You did your job. See?”

She nods to Krish, watching him gather up the girl. Her thin frame is entirely bundled in his cape, only her face visible, until he shifts her up and her head rests against his shoulder. He shivers at the sensation of her ice cold skin on his jaw.

“... She’ll be okay?” the Ghost says, something between a question and a statement. “I should’ve waited. I should’ve found someone to help.”

“She’s safe now.” Ari gives the little Ghost a smile, the sort of smile she never gives to people. “You’re both going to be just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting a few extra chapters on things this weekend since my birthday's this week. Enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

They reached the place where destruction becomes renewal, where broken buildings become rebuilt facades.

She must faint, because she remembers the sensation of falling, and wakes up to find herself in someone’s arms, warm and wrapped in a stranger’s cloak. She’s being carried. The pace of the walking makes her want to sleep.

“Ah!” Piper is hovering, worrying, letting out a coo of delight when she sees her Guardian’s open eyes. “She’s awake!”

“Ari told you, she’ll be fine.” A new voice, a male one- Rumbling in the chest she is being held against. He sounds amused at the Ghost’s concern. “How are you feeling, kid?”

“... Warm.”

It’s a sleepy mumble, nearly incoherent, but he chuckles, shifts his grip. Her head falls into the curve between his shoulder and neck, the hard edge of his neck seal pressing against her cheek.

“Good. You were blue with cold, you know.” 

She thinks he’s trying to tell a joke, to make her laugh, but she doesn’t understand the pieces of it. Not yet. He chuckles, then sighs, appreciating his own humor. 

“Go back to sleep, kid. We’ll take care of you.”

She doesn’t protest. She closes her eyes. Her thoughts are racing, still, but she lets the flood overtake her, drown her.

She drifts away.


	9. Chapter 9

They don’t take her to the infirmary, though Piper fusses and frets, certain she’s managed to botch something. Instead, they take her to the baths, gently waking her, helping her undress and ease into the hot water, leaving her ashen rags on the tile floor. 

She gasps, chilblained skin screaming in protest at the change in temperature, but Ari combs her hair, distracting her, Krish rubs her feet, then her hands, until she can feel something besides pain. 

“Is it better?” Piper asks, hovering a safe distance from the water. “Does it still hurt?” 

“No,” she replies. She lifts her hands above the water, flexing them cautiously “It’s too hot for them to be cold still.” 

“You’re adorable,” Krish informs her, drifting to perch on the submerged bench to her left. “Isn’t she precious, Ari? She’s so pure.” 

“Pure?” The girl blinks at him, then his companion. “I just said it’s warm in here.” 

“Don’t worry about him,” Ari says, giving Krish an exasperated look. “You’re doing just fine.” 

She tugs at the girl’s arm, turning her, the better to begin scrubbing her back. They work slowly, gently, washing away the dirt and dust until her skin has lost its pallor and her cheeks flush indigo from the steam. 

“Did you crawl out of a graveyard?” Ari frowns, carefully extracting bone shards from her knotted hair. “No, don’t answer that. Lean back.” 

The girl falters when she feels the water on her neck, inexplicably nervous. 

“Ari, she’s scared.” Krish tsks, putting a hand between her shoulders and helping her ease back, keeping her face above the water. “Don’t you worry. I won’t let her drown you.” 

“She’s going to think you’re serious.” Ari runs her hands through the girl’s hair, making sure it’s thoroughly soaked before she starts rubbing something that smells like flowers into it. “Ignore him. He thinks he’s funny.” 

“Are you two…” She doesn’t know the pieces to this question, the words to match the concept. They wait for a moment, patient with her, Ari’s fingers working her scalp in a way that makes her feel drowsy all over again. “... A couple?” 

Ari snorts, but Krish has a gentle smile for her, helping her sit up again. “Not exactly. It’s probably a bit too complicated to explain right now.” 

“I prefer women,” Ari says, pouring some sort of oil onto her hands and beginning to work it through the girl’s pink tresses. “And he’d fuck anything with a pulse.”

“She’s too young for this, Ari, please.” Krish pulls their small friend close, a dramatically protective gesture, leaning down to stage whisper in her ear. “She only prefers women when I’m not here.” 

“Please don’t seduce my Guardian,” Piper calls from the side of the bath, where she’s been hovering, watching them carefully. “She’s very new.” 

“No seduction here!” Krish puts his hand up, letting Ari tug the girl back, dip her head down in the water to rinse out her hair once more. “She’s still a baby, anyways. I don’t really like them wide-eyed and confused.” 

“I’m not a baby,” the girl protests, wiping water from her face as she resurfaces. “I’m not confused, either.” 

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Ari asks, leaning forward to see her face. The girl’s wide eyes and startled expression make both Guardians laugh, and she blushes, sinking down into the water. 

“Oh, no, we’re not laughing at you.” Krish drifts to her, tugging her upright. “You’re doing just fine. You’ll find a name soon enough, and everything will start to make sense.” 

“How do you find a name?” She sounds slightly cowed by the prospect, a tone that makes even Ari soften. “I don’t even know where I’d start.” 

“Would you like us to give you a name?” Ari offered, brushing the girl’s wet hair from her face, tucking the strands behind her ears. “You wouldn’t have to keep it. We can just use it until you find something better.” 

“... I guess.” The girl doesn’t sound sure at all, but Ari tilts her head, considering her, sizing her up. 

“What about... Rose?” She suggests, running a hand over the girl’s hair. 

“Too cliche,” Krish scoffs. “How would you like it if I called you Blondie?”

“You do, sometimes.” Ari grimaces, but she’s still contemplating the girl. “Charlotte? Nova?” 

“... Lola.” Krish watches the girl’s face, sees the way she perks up at the name. “She’s a Lola if I’ve ever seen one.” 

Ari is about to make a snide comment, but she also sees the girl’s expression, softening a bit. 

“Do you like that?” she asks instead, brushing the girl’s hair out of her face. “Lola?” 

“Lola. I’m Lola.” The girl repeats, enjoying the way it feels on her tongue, lips curving into a smile as she looks between them. “I think I do.” 


	10. Chapter 10

Lola sleeps nestled between Krish and Ari that first night, wearing one of his shirts like a nightgown, clutching the bolster like a stuffed animal. 

“Do you remember how it was?” Ari asks, voice soft. She’s on her back, eyes closed, hands behind her head. “When you first woke up?” 

“Difficult.” Krish sighs. He brushes a piece of stray hair from Lola’s face, tucking it behind her ear. She doesn’t even stir. “Lonely.” 

“I wonder...” Ari starts, faltering as she tries to find the way to string the words together. “Will it be worse, starting like this? Safe and warm, inside these walls, with people to protect her?”

“I don’t think fighting my way across half a continent to get to the City did anything to improve me, personally.” Krish’s mouth tightens, a thin line of bitterness as he recalls those days. “It just made me harder than I needed to be.” 

“It made me the way I am.” Ari says. 

There’s a silence, then, a heavy pause where his reassurance ought to be. 

“How do you think she’ll do?”

“In general?” Krish sighs again, studying the sleeping girl’s face. “As well as we all do, I imagine. The Traveler picks us for a reason.” 

“I guess.” Ari doesn’t sound convinced. “We should get her into the Crucible.” 

“Let’s get her some clothes, first.” He chuckles softly. “And introduce her to the Vanguard.” 

“Of course.” She would roll her eyes, if they were open. “Don’t get attached, Krish. She’s young and cute. She’ll find a fireteam, and run off to be reckless with the rest of the kids.” 

“You didn’t run off,” he points out. He reaches across the bed, across Lola, placing his hand on Ari’s hip. “And I think you’re pretty cute.” 

“Thanks,” she scoffs, unable to hide her smile. “Still. I don’t want you to get your feelings hurt.” 

Lola is shifting, turning over in her sleep, an arm draping across Ari as if she were a pillow. The Hunter starts, slightly, eyes opening, expression softening as she looks at the girl. Krish watches her, feeling a swell of affection at the look on her face. 

“She’s going to be destroyed out there,” Ari says. “Look at her.” 

“We’ll see what happens,” Krish whispers. “Now, go to sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.” 


	11. Chapter 11

Her first days are comfortable ones. Unlike the multitude who spend their first days struggling to survive in the wilds, she has been reborn in the shadow of the Tower, and she is handled gently as she begins to adjust to this new existence.

“Slow down,” the man-- _Krish_ \-- says, watching her scarf down her third bowl of assida. “You’ll be sick.”

Lola pauses for a moment, considering him, then the bowl.

“I’m hungry, though.” She says it as if it contradicts his warning. ”Really hungry.”

“That’ll happen,” he laughs, propping his chin up on one hand. “Just wait a bit. You’ll feel full if you slow down, but if you eat too much too fast, you’ll throw it all right back up again.”

“She’ll figure it out one way or another,” Ari sighs, examining her nails over her own empty bowl. “Or she won’t.”

They’re right, of course.

Krish rubs her back as she vomits into a bin, her Ghost fluttering about anxiously, ready to repair her broken blood vessels once the gagging stops.

“I’m sorry,” she groans for the dozenth time, letting him dab the bile off her lips and nose. “I should’ve listened.”

“Hey, don’t worry.” He grins, ruffling her hair. “Happens to the best of us. You’ve got a whole new body to get used to. Might as well start with the basics.”

Ari arrives, hands her a cup of water, waving off her sheepish apologies.

“Just drink it. Get the bad taste out of your mouth.” She sighs, looking the girl up and down. “Now we’ll have to feed her again.”

Lola shakes her head. “No, that’s alright. I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Later,” Krish reassures her, rubbing her back lightly. “For now, let’s make some introductions.”

“Did she get any on her clothes?” Ari asks, turning Lola around to get a better look at her. “In her hair?”

“No,” he replies, defensive. He scoots around to stand beside Ari, though, looking her up and down to be sure. “See? None.”

“I still feel nauseous,” Lola complains. “My chest…”

“Oh, no.” Piper drifts forward and starts scanning her Guardian again, this time checking more than just her face, making a sound of disappointment as she realizes what she’s missed. “I’m sorry, Lola, I didn’t think--”

“It’s gone.” Lola seems amazed, a hand to her stomach as if she might feel the pain that’s been taken away. “You did that?”

Krish and Ari are grinning, leaning into each other as they watch their charge and her Ghost, fumbling through their new roles.

“What’s so funny?” Piper asks, seeing their expressions. “I’m new to this, you know.”

“No, no!” Krish waves his hands, though he’s still smiling. “No, we’re not laughing at you. You’re both just... so cute.”

“I’m wearing clothes made for someone twice my size,” Lola says, looking down at herself. “I don’t feel very cute.”

“I’m not twice your size,” Ari corrects her, a bit miffed. “And you look fine. Let’s go meet the Vanguard.”


	12. Chapter 12

Shaxx is _truly_ the size of two Lolas, and the girl looks appropriately impressed when she is introduced to him, eyes a bit wide as she sees the back of the towering Titan.

“Lord Shaxx,” Krish speaks first, voice rather sing-song as he tries to get his attention. “We have a new Guardian for you to meet.”

The Titan says something about Light that Lola couldn’t understand if she wanted to before setting down his mug and turning around.

“Hunter, if this is another of your pointless interruptions--”

The man likely didn’t intend to finish the sentence, but when he trails off, when he pauses, Lola feels the passing unease of her companions, the sudden awareness that this isn’t the reaction they were expecting.

It only lasts a moment, though-- just long enough that she might have imagined it.

Then he’s talking to her, a voice like thunder: “Hello, Guardian. Let me look at you.”

She blinks, and Ari is pushing her forward for his inspection. Lola lifts her chin and straightens her spine, though it does little for her height.

Looking straight ahead, her vision is filled with his broad chestplate. He could crush her skull in his hands, if he wanted to. Instead, he just crushes her hand in a friendly grip, shaking it firmly.

“What should we call you, Guardian?”

“Lola,” she says, feeling heat in her cheeks as she hears her voice squeak. “Sir.”

She hears Krish snicker behind her. Her blush deepens, but she doesn’t turn, stubbornly looking back at Shaxx’s visorless helmet.

“I’m Lord Shaxx,” he says, patting her on the shoulder. She lets out a small “woof” of air, but she doesn’t stagger. “Would you like to try your skills in my Crucible?”

“Your what?” Lola asks, but Ari is talking over her.

“We’ll bring her around for that later, Lord Shaxx. As you can see, she’s a bit… underequipped.” The Hunter puts her hands on the girl’s shoulders, drawing her a bit closer to her side. “And we don’t really know what she can do yet.”

“Run along, then.” Shaxx is glancing at his monitors again, reaching for his headset. “Warlock! What are you doing? Get out of the corner and fight!”

Lola lets Ari guide her away, glancing back at the booming Titan again before he disappears around the corner.

“He seems nice,” she says.

Krish and Ari let her stop to talk to Banshee, their charge chirping happily as the gunsmith asks her questions.

“What was that?” Ari asks, jerking her head back toward the Crucible master. “Back there.”

“He recognized her,” Krish replies, under his breath. “From before.”

“Oh.” Ari shrugs, an uncomfortable, defensive gesture. “Well, at least he didn’t say something.”

“Ideally, nobody else will, either.”

Krish smiles, making it clear the conversation is over as Lola comes back to them.

“He said he’ll make me a gun when I’m ready!” She declares, quite pleased with herself. “He said I can pick any type I’d like.”

“Did he? That’s very nice of him.” Krish pats her on the head, ruffling her hair affectionately. “Come on, chatterbox. We’ve got lots of other people to meet.”


	13. Chapter 13

“This feels mean,” Krish flinches as Ari puts Lola on the ground again, the girl’s head making an unpleasant sound as it slams into the dirt. “It’s hardly a fair fight.”

“Well, she’s gotta learn somehow,” Ari exhales, brushing her hair out of her face. She offers a hand, helping Lola stagger back to her feet, dusting her off as Piper starts patching her up again. “I’d rather try this than toss her into the Crucible blind.”

The field is more dirt than grass, worn down from ball games and rowdy children, the ground hard from the cold weather. Ari scuffs her boot on a lonely patch of dead grass as she waits, mind on other things as Krish begins to reply. 

“I’m fine,” Lola cuts in, though she still looks a bit cross-eyed, even after Piper’s healing. “I can do it.”

“Try, then.” Ari waits a moment, then strikes out.

Lola raises her arms, but she’s too slow. Her nose crunches, the girl wails, and she’s back on her ass, blood pouring out from between her fingers.

“... I meant try to _block_ it.” The Hunter sighs. “Or _something_.”

“I did!” Lola snaps, tears welling in her eyes, voice muffled by her bloodied airways. “You were too fast!”

Ari sighs again. “Your enemies aren’t going to wait, doll. They’re gonna kill you. And they’ll probably do it faster than that.”

“One more time,” Lola insists, getting to her feet. “Try it.”

Ari shakes out her hand, taking a long, deep breath.

“Okay. Tell me when you’re ready.”

She doesn’t wait. She breaks her nose again.

Lola doesn’t fall back and cry this time, though her head snaps aside, blood spraying as she braces her feet, letting out a howl of pain.

Ari sees her redirect her weight, then, moving forward with all the force of her body in a fist, a fist that is suddenly aglow with blue light.

“Fuck yeah!” The Hunter shouts, before she dies with a grin on her face.

Lola is aghast when she sees Ari’s mangled body, staring at her hand as if they were not her own, as if they belonged to a monster, but Krish is running up to her, scooping her up and swinging her around, as if his friend weren’t dead beside them.

“You did it!” He crows, squeezing her into a hug. “You’re a Titan, you little mouse!”

“But-- But Ari--”

She sees the Huntress’ Ghost appear, sees Ari rematerialize from Light, as if it were nothing but a transmat. The Hunter is in one piece, unharmed, grinning like it’s the best day of her life, entirely indifferent to the mangled remains.

“C’mere,” she says, dragging the stunned Lola into another embrace, rocking back and forth. “I’m so proud of you, you little brat. If I’d known it would take a temper tantrum--”

“I killed you,” Lola says, frightened, confused. “Your body’s there, I saw-- I felt--”

Ari pauses, her smile fading as she realizes the girl’s dismay is sincere.

“Oh. You haven’t seen that before.” She glances back where her blood stains the earth, resisting the urge to shrug, through one shoulder lifts and drops. “That’s what we are, Lola. That’s what makes Guardians special.”

“Nobody told me,” Lola says. “Does that mean _I’ll_ die?”

The two Guardians hesitate, glancing at one another, unwilling to be the first to answer the question.

“I was hoping we could cover the fun parts before we got there,” Krish grimaces. “Can we pretend nothing happened and just be happy you learned how to use some Light?”

The girls look at him, one with a wide-eyed stare, the other glaring. He puts his hands up.

“Fine, fine. Let’s do this, then. The… abridged version.”


	14. Chapter 14

Lola wishes she could forget her first time in the Crucible. She wishes she’d never tried in the first place. 

She’s burning with shame when she emerges from the arena, gaze lowered. Krish and Ari are waiting, or at least, they said they would be, and she doesn’t want to look at them. Not now. Not yet. 

She knows if she sees their disappointment, she’ll start crying, and she can’t bear to think of the other Guardians seeing her tears. 

“Hey, Titan?” 

A soft, female voice, a hand on her shoulder. She turns, startled by the touch, finding herself face to face with a Hunter with hazel eyes and skin like Krish’s, the same color as Ari’s favorite tea, cheeks flushed with adrenaline and exertion. 

“... Yeah?” Lola doesn’t know what else to say, if she ought to speak at all, but the pause seems to demand it. 

“You did a good job,” the Hunter says, smiling-- Faltering, when she sees the tears welling in Lola’s eyes. She frowns, then uses the hem of her cloak to dab them away. “There. Much better.” 

“Thanks.” Lola ducks her head, hiding her blush. “For saying that, I mean. I know I wasn’t…” 

“It takes practice.” The Hunter is smiling again, hand moving down to her arm, a reassuring touch. “Your Ghost doesn’t just bring you back ready to be killing machine. At least, most of us don’t come back like that.” 

“Really?” Lola sounds more earnest than she’d intended. “I sort… assumed.” 

“Oh, Traveler, no. The ones who do are kinda psycho, if you know what I mean.” The Hunter wrinkles her nose, sticking her tongue out as if thinking of something disgusting, making Lola smile. “What’s your name?” 

“... Lola,” she replies, caught off guard by the question. “My name’s Lola.” 

“I like your smile, Lola.” The Hunter grins, tilting her head to one side. “I’m Azita. I hope we can see each other again.” 

Lola doesn’t have a chance to reply. Krish and Ari are approaching, and she turns at the sound of her name. When she looks back, Azita is gone. 

“Making friends?” Krish asks, unable to hide a smile. 

“Later,” Ari snaps, shoving him aside to give Lola a hug. “We’re so proud of you, Lola. You were so brave in there.” 

She lets the Hunters shower her with reassurance and affection, until she isn’t quite so ashamed any more, until she’s sure that she might improve, if she gets the chance. 


End file.
